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Curly's 1945 stroke

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MR77100:
Does anyone know when Curly had his stroke in 1945, which resulted in his declining health for the rest of his career? My guess would be between IDIOTS DELUXE and IF A BODY MEETS A BODY, since his voice tone and energy level seem like night and day. Supposedly Curly's voice did begin to deepen in THE YOKE'S ON ME and IDLE ROOMERS, but 1945 seems to be the cut-off point for Jerome's noticeable decline.

metaldams:
IF A BODY MEETS A BODY is definitely the start of the sick era, in my opinion, he was much worse in that short than any previous short.  That said, I would go back all the way to PHONY EXPRESS when you could slowly see the signs of Curly aging, though it wasn't that noticeable at that point unless if you were looking for it.  DIZZY PILOTS is the last short to me with the early 40's energy level Curly, though he had some good performances after that.

I wonder if DIZZY PILOTS/PHONY EXPRESS and IDIOTS DELUXE/IF A BODY MEETS A BODY were the beginning and end of shooting seasons for the boys?  It wouldn't surprise me.

falsealarms:
I agree about IF A BODY MEETS A BODY. There's a big difference in Curly between that short and the one before it, IDIOTS DELUXE.

healyhouston:
The newspapers of the time did not tell that Curly had a stroke.  They said Shemp replaced Curly who has been ailing since the time he fell down an elevator shaft during the the filming of one of the shorts.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uQhQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ElUDAAAAIBAJ&dq=shemp&pg=3585%2C6284382

Shemp:
Wow, that article was a great find!  First time I've read that info about him ailing after the elevator shaft fall.  That fall may have indeed precipitated one of his strokes, or accelerated his decline.  If I remember correctly, he had badly cut his head in that same fall and needed stitches. Then they just glued on a bunch of hair to that spot to cover the stitches. It's really obvious when you look for it.  Can't remember the episode name, but they are in a hat shop right after his fall. 

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